Duplicating-machine.



A. H. BATES. DUPLICATING MACHINE;

APPLICATION IILED 3.27, 1908.

1,106,071 Patented Aug. 4, 1914;

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DUPLIGATING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.27, 190a.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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DUPLIGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APB..27,1908.

1,106,07 1 Patented Aug. 4, 1914,

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DUPLIGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1908.

1, 1 06,07 1 Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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A. H. BATES.

DUPLIOATING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED APB..27, 1908.

1,106,071 Patented Aug. 4; 1914,

5 SHBETBSHEET 6.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT H. BATES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN MULTIGRAPH COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DUPLICATING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

Application filed April 27, 1908. Serial No. 429,319.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. BATES, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Duplicatin -Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is toprovide an eflicient machine for the rapid production of printed matter.

The invention is primarily adapted for reducing circulars or other matter in single sheets. When used for such circulars, I provide an inking ribbon through which the impression is made, whereby an appearance of typewriting is obtained.

The invention includes not only simple and efiicient means for giving the impression, but also for feeding the paper and for delivering the printed sheet.

The invention includes also means whereby the printed sheet is raised.from the form to allow its convenient delivery.

All these mechanisms are shown as associated in a simple unitary machine capable of carrying the individual sheets in blank and discharging them in printed form.

The drawings clearly illustrate a simple embodiment of my invention, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, is a side elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, the left hand half of this view being shown in vertical central section; Fig. 3is a vertical section through the type bed in a plane parallel with Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on substantially the same plane as Fig. 3 but looking in the opposite direction; Fig. 5 is a plan of the machine, part of the ribbon being broken away; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the marginal guide for the type and elastic track for the platen; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the type adapted to be employed in the embodiment shown; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4 and-illustrating the operating mechanism of the ribbon feed; Fig. 9 is a detail of a member of the paper holder; Fig. 10 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 10-10 of Fig. 3 illustrating the delivery mechanism; Fig. 11 a fragmentary side elevation showing an arrangement wherein the bed is flat, enabling standard type, electro-types or other forms of printmg members to be used.

As shown in the drawings, 12 represents the side members of a suitable supporting stand or base braced by cross members 13 and carrying in its upper end the type bed 14. This bed may be flat or curved, as desired, and may carry individual type or elec rto-types or other printing members, as desired.

As shown in Figs. 1-5, the-type bed carries individual parallel rails 15 between which may be mounted individual type 16 grooved on their sides, as shown in Fig. 7. As shown in these figures, the type bed is an arc of a circle about a center 18 near the lower end of the base. Pivotally mounted at this oint in the base (shown in Fig. 2 by adjusta le eccentrics 19) is the shaft 18 to which are secured arms 20 connected at their upperends by a cross bar 21 and handle 22, which parts constitute an oscillatory frame. These arms carry a suitable roller platen 25 which is adapted to roll over and impress the type carried by the bed.

When the type is an arc of a circle and the arms are pivoted at the center of the are, as shown'in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the presentation of the platen to the type is maintained without additional guides. When the type bed is flat, as shown in Fig. 11, the platen will be guided by axial extensions which carry rollers 26 operating beneath suitable rails 27 (adjustable by screws 24) and the arms 20 will be pivoted at their lower ends to a block 28 slidably mounted in vertical slots in the frame and given a central tendency by springs 29. This is illustrated in Fig. 11. In this case the printing surface 17 may consist of individual standard type or electro-types, for example.

From the above construction, it will be seen that if the type be suitably inked and paper he placed over it, the movement of the platen over the paper and inked type from one end of the form to the other will print the page. This movement the operator easily accomplishes by grasping the handle 22 and shoving or pulling it from one extreme position to the other.

To conveniently ink the type to enable it to produce an imitation of typwritten matter, I provid an inking ribbon. This is illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 5. The ribbon 30 passes over the form and onto two spools 31 between the side members 12 of the frame. On the end of each spool is a ratchet 32. Vertically slidable on the inner side of one of the frame plates is a plate 33 (Fig. 4) which carries a pivoted bar 34 on which are mounted pawls 35. The plate 33 has V- shaped notches 36 in which take pins 37 on a slidable bar 38. This bar is slidably held on the frame .plate and has near its ends pins 39 adapted to be engaged by one of the arms 20 as it comes into either extreme position.

The engagement of the arm 20 with a pin 39 shoves the bar 38 longitudinally and thereby raises the bar 34 and the pawls 35,. causing the pawl which is in engagement with the ratchet wheel 32 to rotate said wheel a portion of a rotation. The bar 34 is normally held with one of its pawls in engagement with one of the ratchets by reason of the springplunger 40 engaging in a notch in the arm 41 of the bar 34. When, however, the spool from which the ribbon is being wound becomes empty, the amount of force required to rotate the other spool is increased to a point where, when the plate 33 rises, instead of the engaged pawl rotating the engaged ratchet, the arm 41 slips beneath the plunger 40 and the other pawl comes into operation with the other ratchet; then for the next and succeeding movements; this other pawl operates its ratchet until thel ribbon is fed entirely in the other direction.- It will thus be seen that not only may I printf with an inking ribbon, butat the end of each printing operation after the impression is completed, the ribbon is fed a suitable distance to bring a fresh face to the platen, and the direction of feed is automatically changed when either spool becomes empty.

A sheet of paper may be laid on the form by hand in advance of the impression roller. It may also be removed by hand after the impression roller has traveled over it. It may likewise be placed. and removed mechanically. To enable the paper to be conveniently placed on the form mechanically, I arrange the paper to be carried by the oscillatory. frame itself which automatically feeds the pa or as the frame is shifted from one side to t e other. As shown in the drawings, the machine is double acting, that is, it rints a sheet on each stroke of the oscillatmg frame, whether backward or forward. In such machine I carry the aper by the oscillatin frame in two sup ies. This I accomplis as follows On t e oscillating frame are two pockets 50, each provided by an inner late 51 and an outer plate 52 and suitable edge guides 53 adjustably carried by the outer plate b operating throug means of thumb nuts 54 slots in that plate. The

carried by a rod 60 adjustably held to the arms 20 by being mounted in slots 61 therein and held by nuts 62. i

The springs 59 are adjustable so that their noses engage the paper in the pocket near the extreme edge of the foremost sheet. In this position, this foremost sheet has its lower edge engaging both the platen and the plate 57 near the rolled over edge 63 thereof. Now, if the oscillating frame is moved in the direction toward such pocket, the front sheet, being grasped by the platen and edge 63, is fed downwardly and released from the spring 59 at its upper end and grasped at its lower end by the roller and the type on the bed, wherefore, the paper lies on the type and the roller travels over it, impressing it. This movement is without effect on the paper in the other pocket for the platen is moving in the wrong direction to feed it. On the return movement of the frame, however, the front sheet in that pocket is grasped by the platen andthe edge 63 of the plate 57, and is fed between the platen and bed. As each sheet is drawn-down by the engagement of the platen and the edge 63, the other sheets of paper behind it are drawn down sufiiciently so that the spring 56 engages the next foremost sheet, which occupies the position of the sheet just fed. It should be noted that the spring 56 is a light one and operates simply to keep the block of paper together and pressed against the plate 51 and roller 25; that gravity, the in cline of the plate 57, and the downward pull of the roller 25 maintain the block of paper fanned out, while the adjustment of the plate 57 is such that but one sheet of paper passes between it and the roller 25. Furthermore, the platen has a soft rubber face whlch, of course, obtains a better grip on the first sheet of paper than the first sheet does on the succeeding sheet, though the spring 59 hearing directly on the first sheet tends to bind it to the succeeding sheet. The result is that the downward movement of the platen face pulls downward the whole block of fanned out sheets until the foremost one is released from the spring 59; then the foremost one alone is fed and, by being grasped between the roller 25 and the roll 63, is assed downwardly between the platen and orm, as stated The upward movement of theother side of the platen does not materially disturb the conditionof the block down in front of the platen and is impressed by it over the inking ribbon on the type form.

To insure the proper feeding of the paper as well as the rotation of the inking ribbon heretofore referred to, there is a slight idle movement of the platen beyond each end of the type form. To insure the platen rotating before it engages the form, I provide a pair of tracks which the platen constantly engages. These tracks are designated 70. They consist preferably of soft .rubber mounted on a suitable plate 71 which is adapted to form a marginal guide for'the type. This plate may have dove-tailed lugs 72 which fit into the grooves between the rails 15, as shown in Fi 6. To enable a convenient removal of t e paper after it is printed, I provide first, mechanism by which the end of the sheet is raised from the form, and second, mechanism for grasping such end and removing the sheet. If it is desired to omit this second mechanism and remove the sheet by hand, the same may be done, the first mechanism raising the sheet in a convenient position to allow'its removal either mechanically or by hand.

The means by which I raise the sheet consists of two elastic straps 80 which are anchored at higher points than theends of the form and extend across the bed adjacent to the edges of the form and beneath the platen. When the form is curved, these straps are normally tangent to it at its highest point, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. These straps are provided at their ends with hooks 81 by which they are secured to cross rods 82 which are adjustably held in brackets 83 carried by the frame. Fig. 4 shows one of the positions of rest of these elastic bands. They pass beneath the platen and lie adjacent to the tracks and in the recesses over the marginal strips7l. As the platen moves forward, the edge of the paper lies over these bands. During the move-- ment, the bands rise at the rear of the platen, raising the rear portion of the paper from the form so that its rear edge may be conveniently grasped, whereby it may be removed.

To allow the removal of the paper to be accomplished, mechanically, I provide between the frame members 12 the two arms 90 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) which are mounted on cross shafts 91 which carry pinions 92 meshing with racks 93 on suitable bars 94 and 95 respectively and slidably guided on one of the frame plates.

Each of these bars carry pins 96 adapted to be engaged by one of the arms 20 on its extreme movement. As the arms are coming into this position, they shift the bars 94 or 95, as the case may be, moving the rack, rocking the pinion and thereby swinging the arm 90 from the idle position shown in the right hand portion of ,Fig. 3 up into the active position shown in the left hand portion. The upper end of the arm 90 is formed to extend over the sheet of paper held on the elastic straps 80. Pivoted to this arm is a. bar 97 which is adapted to pass beneath the paper and with the arm forms a pair of pinceis'adapted to grasp the sheet. I

The bar 97 is held to the arm with suflicient friction so that the arm remains in position relatively open or closed into which it has been forced. In the idle position, a in 98* holds the jaws open.- They remain 1n this position until they have passed around the edge of the paper. Then, as shown in the left hand portion of Fig. 3, a tailof the jaw 97 engages the eccentric 99 on the rod 82, forcing the jaws to close to grasp the paper. Now, with the return movement of the arm, which begins immediately with the return'movement of the oscillating frame, the sheet is drawn oil' of the form in advance of the new sheet to be laid thereon, and passes beneath the bar 82 and turns over with its printing side uppermost, and as the arm comes into final position it is releasedby the tail of the jaw engaging the rod'98. This return movement of the arm is caused by the spring 79 about its shaft 91. When released, the sheet falls into one of the baskets 100. The eccentric 99 may be adjusted by turning the rod 82 to cause the proper grasp of the paper, such adjustment being controlled by the set screws 85 locking the rod. To prevent the oscillating frame being inadvertently moved backward after it has started on a forward movement in either direction, I provide the stationary rack 101 and mount on the arm 20 a pawl 102 which trails over this rack from either direction but blocks backward movement.

It will be seen that I have provided a simple printing mechanism which is adapted to be operated by hand power, or other suitable means, and which will take up only a small amount of space but which may print very rapidly and may be self-feeding and self-delivering, if desired. While I have shown an inking ribbon, this may be omitted, if desired, and the form inked by a suitable hand roller or otherwise.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a type bed. a travcling roller platen, and means for automatically feeding sheets of paper which stand in blocks with their lower edges against the platen onto the bed on the advanceside of the platen which ever way it is moving.

2. The combination, with the type bed, of a travelin roller platen, and means moving with the p aten for holding an upwardly extending block of sheets of paper with its lower edge resting by gravity against the advance side of the platen in position to automatically feed thereby.

3. The'combination of a type bed, a traveling platen, means for bodily moving a supply of paper sheets, and means for automatically feeding a sheetonto the bed on the advance side of the platen whichever way it is moving.

4. In a printin mechanism, the combination of a type be a frame adapted to oscillate about an axis, a roller platen carried by said frame, and a paper supply carried by said frame with a sheet automatically contacting with the platen.

5. In a printing mechanism, the combination of a bed, a traveling platen, a platen frame, and a paper supply mounted on the laten frame and arranged to carry individual sheets resting against the platen and feed the paper between the bed and platen as the platen travels over the bed.

6. The combination of a bed, a traveling platen, a frame adapted to move the platen to and fro over the bed, and mechanism carried by such frame for feeding the paper onto the bed on the advance side of the platen which ever way it is moving.

7. The combination of a bed, an oscillatable frame, a platen carried thereby, a pair of paper holding pockets on opposite sides of the frame having their lower ends adjacent to the opposite sides of the platen, and means for guiding and holding such paper to cause a sheet on the forward side of the platen to be fed between it and the bed.

8. The combination, with a type bed and traveling platen movable back and forth, of means for automatically raising the edge of a printed sheet placed in the bed, said rasing being at the opposite end of the bed from the platen, and delivery mechanism adapted to grasp such raised edge.

9. The combination of a bed, a traveling roller platen making more than a complete revolution in cooperation with the bed, means moving with the platen for supporting a plurality of sheets of paper and placing them one after another auotmatically on the bed, and means for removing the paper from the bed.

10. The combination of a bed, a pair of elastic straps extending across the same, a roller platen adapted to travel across the bed and force the straps toward the same, and means moving with the platen for carry ing individual sheets of paper and automatically placing them on the bed, said straps being adapted to raise the end of the sheet of paper on the rear side of the platen.

11. The combination of a bed, a pair of elastic straps extending across the same, a platen .adapted to travel across the bed and force the straps toward the same, said straps being adapted to raise the end of a sheet of paper on the rear side of the platen, and mechanism operated by the platen frame adapted to grasp the end of such raised sheet and remove it.

12. The combination of a bed, a platen adapted to travel over the bed, elastic straps extending over the bed, means for laying the paper on the straps and bed, a pair of 13WS adapted to grasp the edge of the sheet of paper when raised by the straps, and mechanism adapted to move the platen and operate said jaws.

13. The combination of a bed, an oscillatable frame, a platen carried thereby and adapted to be removed from the bed, a paper holder carried by said frame, whereby paper may be fed between the platen and bed, elastic straps extending beneath the platen and adapted to lie beneath the paper and lift the end thereof.

14. The combination with a type surface, of a roller platen, a movable frame in which said platen is mounted, and a paper supply carried by said frame in two blocks adapted to feed the paper onto the front side of the platen whichever way it is moving.

15. The combination of a stationary bed adapted to carry a. page form of type matter, a movable frame, a roller platen carried thereby and adapted to be moved by the frame across such form, a ribbon suitably carried to pass across such form, and means carried by such frame for holding a block of paper the sheets of which are adapted to be successively. and automatically grasped by the platen and fed a sheet at a time between the platen and bed.

16. The combination of a bed, an oscillatable frame, a roller platen carried thereby,

a pair of elastic straps passing beneath the platen and having their ends anchored some distance from the bed, and means for carrying individual sheets of paper mounted on such frame, and means for automatically feeding such sheets.

17 The combination of a bed adapted to carry a page form of type, a traveling platen, a paper supply traveling with the platen, a ribbon passing across such form and lying between it and the platen, and elastic straps extending across the bed adjacent to the edges of the form beyond the edges of the ribbon and adapted to raise the end of the printed sheet.

18. The combination of a bed, a ribbon adapted to extend across the same, a platen adapted to roll over the same, a paper supply, a frame carrying the same and said platen, means for lacing paper on the bed by the rolling of the platen, nd means for raising paper after being printed by such operation.

19. The combination of a l d, a ribbon adapted to extend across the s me, a platen adapted to roll over the same, means for placing paper on the bed by the rolling of the platen, and means for raising paper after being printed by such operation, said means comprisinga pair of elastic straps passing beneath the platen and located beyond the edges of the ribbon but not beyond the edges of the paper.

20.. The combination of a bed, a platen adapted to travel back and forth over the bed, a ribbon ada ted to extend over such bed, means for fee ing the ribbon in one direction at the two end portions of the platen stroke, means for placing paper on the bed by th rolling of the platen in each direction, and means for prmting on each stroke of the platen whether backward or'forward. 21. The combination of a type carrying member, a' platen adapted to cooperate therewith, means adapted to. move the laten across said member, means for holding the platen onto said member, an inking ribbon, and means mounted on the same frame with the platen for carrying individual sheets of paper and feeding such paper by the impressing surface of the platen onto said ribbon. g

22. The combination of a type carrying member, a platen adapted to cooperate therewith, means adapted to move the platen across said member, means for holdmg the platen onto said member, and inking ribbon, means movable with the platen for feeding paper onto said. ribbon, and means for raising the edge of the printed sheet from the form to allow its delivery.

23. The combination of a type carrying member, a platen adapted to cooperate therewith, means adapted to move the laten across said member, means for holdmg the platen onto said member, an inking ribbon, meansmovablewith the platen for feeding aper onto said ribbon, means for raising t e edge of the printed sheet from the form to allow its delivery, and two pairs of jaws located at opposite ends of the form and each adapted to grasp one end of a sheet of paper when the platen is adjacent to the other end of the heet. J

24. In aduplicating machine, the combination of a su porting standard, a type carrying bed at t e top thereof, arms extendingonto opposite sides of the standard and pivotally carried near the lower end thereof, said arms extending above the bed and being connected by cross members whereby an oscillating frame is provided, a roller platen mounted on said frame, and a paper carrying device mounted on said frame and adapted to carry a block of paper and discharge a sheet in a position to be grasped between the platen and form.

25. The combination of a type carrying member, an ink ribbon, a traveling platen movable back and forth, means moving with the platen for carrying a sup )ly of paper, and means for automaticallyf eeding an individual sheet of such paper for each direction of movement of the platen.

26. The combination of a bed, a smooth roller platen, means for moving the same across the bed, means for holding the same at a constant distance from the bed, and

means whereby the impressing surface of the platen may gradually feed individual sheets of paper between the platen and the bed for each direction of movement of the platen.

27. The combination of a stationary bed, a platen movable forward and back, and means whereby anindividual sheet of paper is fed at each stroke of the platen from a supply carried therewith.

28. The combination of a stationary bed, an inking ribbon, a traveling platen, means for automatically feeding an individual sheet of paper on top of the ribbon, and mean for automatically removing the printed sheet both of said automatic movements being for each stroke of the platen.

29. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a roller platen, a type carrying member cooperating therewith, an inking "ribbon passing between the two, means for moving one member of the couple back and forth with reference to the other, and an automatic paper feeding device mounted on the frame of the movable member of the couple, and adapted to carry a block of individual sheets of paper.

30. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a roller platen, a type carrying member cooperating therewith, an inking ribbon passing between the two, means for moving one member of the couple back and forth with reference to the other, a paper feeding device movable with the movable member of the couple, and a paper relieving device stationary with the stationary member of the couple.

31. In a ribbon printing mechanism, the combination of a type carrying bed, an ink ing ribbon, a platen adapted to roll back and forth across the ribbon and bed, and mean for automaticall feeding individual sheets of paper for eac direction of platen movement, and means for automatically feeding the ribbon in the same direction irrespective of the direction of the platen stroke.

32. In a ribbon printing mechanism, the combination of a type carrying bed, an inking ribbon, a platen adapted'to roll back and forth across the ribbon and bed, means dependent on the platen for feeding paper for each direction of the platen movement,

and means operated independently of the platen for automatically removing the 5 paper from the bed.

33. In a ribbon printing mechanism, the combination of a type carrying bed, an inking ribbon, a platen adapted to roll back and forth across the ribbon and bed, means 1. for automatically feeding individual sheets of paper for each direction of platen movement, and mean operated independently of the platen for automatically removing the paper.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my 15 signature in the presence of two witnesses. ALBERT H. BATES. WVitnesses:

BRENNON BmEsT, Man A. TAIF. 

